OTAGO.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 320, 13 November 1860, Page 3

OTAGO.

(From the Colonist.)

The Wakatip Lake.—Mr. Rees, of whose exploring trip to the Wakatip Lake last year an interesting sketch appeared in our co'umns, has recently returned from another visit to the same locality. He started from In vercargill about three months since, with a dray and eight bullocks, taking a load of 24 cwt. and a sledge on. which was an 18 feet whaleboat, with which he found little difficulty in reaching the scone oi operations. Launching his boat, he proceeded up the Lake, which he found to be only about three miles broad, instead of four, as he had previously supposed. The north arm is also some six miles shorter, the extremity appearing to form the sandy bed of two large rivers flowing into the Lake. About 16 miles up this arm another river flows into it from the westward, though a very remarkable gap, beyond which is probably either another lake or available country. Mr. Rees also discovered two or three islands at the northern end, on one of which is abundance of timber suitable for building purposes, and the remains of what was evidently a native garden. On the north-east of the Lake there are 50,000 or 60,000 acres of good available country, on which there was no snow, nor was there any for 2000 feet above the level of the Lake, although it had recently been lying down to its margin. Good weather prevailed during the whole of the trip. We understand that Mr. Rees has placed his boat at the disposal of the Government, should they feel disposed to make any further examination of the locality.

Coroner's Inquests.—An inquest was held by William Fraser, Esq., Justice of the Peace, at Goodwood, on the 15th instant, on the body of Hugh Allan, bullock-driver, who was found drowned in Pleasant River. The jury returned a verdict that deceased came by his death from having fallen into the river whilst in a state of intoxication. The jury at the same time begged to draw the attention of the Government to the very unsafe state of the road at the particular place were the deceased fell in. Another inquest was held by the same gentleman, at Goodwood, on the 16th instant, on the body of Mrs. Cameron, wife of Lewis Cameron, settler, of Goodwood. It appeared from the evidence, that the deceased was married to Lewis Cameron (then a widower; his first wife having been sometime previously burned to death in attemptting to extinguish a burning bush fence), about 16 months since. Cameron, it was stated^ lived happily with his wife, with occasional exceptions. On Saturday the 13th, after dinner, Cameron took his wife, along with his daughter, to see the water-hole where Hugh Allan had been drowned a day or two previously. On their return Mrs. Cameron lingered behind until out of sight, and Cameron, afterwards sent his daughter back to see what detained her, when she was found sitting by the water-hole reading her Bible, and refused to return with the daughter. The daughter returned to Cameron, who went first to Mr. Hepburn's house and afterwards proceeded home, when he found the door locked. The daughter thereafter went to the water-hole where she had previously seen Mrs. Cameron, but saw no trace of her. Next morning the daughter again went to the same place, and found Mrs. Cameron's Bible, purse, and key on the bank by the water-hole. Assistance having been procured, a search was made, and in half an hour the body was found. It would appear from the evidence, that on more than one occasion Mrs. Cameron threatened to drown herself, the last occasion being when Cameron told her of the bullock-driver beng drowned, but there was nothing unusual about her appearance immediately previous to the commission of the rash act. The deceased was in the habit of reading her Bible, and family worship took place daily in the house. Her husband always considered her. of sound mind. Dr. Crocome stated on examination, that he believed that death was caused by suspended animation from drowning, aud that he could find no trace of external violence. The jury found that the deceased had drowned herself whilst laboring under a state of temporary insanity. Education. —The state of Education in New Zealand generally cannot be considered unsatisfactory when compared with the home country; but as we wish to direct the attention of our readers to the absurdly extravagant scheme adopted in this province, producing no commensurate results, we would remark, that while we pay .£IOO for the passage of a teacher, spend £300 or £400 in erecting a house, £60 to £80 in fencing a gUbe, pay £100 a year salary and return all the fees, while the number of children in each school ranges from about 6 to 50; the Nelson Board of Education have resolved that " the salaries of all masters be £80 per annum, and that when the daily attendance of scholars is between 20 and 30, and their average attendance is equal to 60 per cent., that an addition of £10 be made to the salary; and when the daily attendance is above 30, with a like average, the additional salary shall be £20, without prejudice to any gratuity for superior attention or efficiency that may be awarded. That the salaries of all teachers who cannot show an average daily attendance of at least 12 children on school-days during the last six months of 1860, will be reduced to £60 in the case of a male, and £40 in that of a female teacher." The main argument in support of our wasteful expenditure is that a superior education is secured ; and yet in Nelson the number of those who can read and write is 2 per cent higher than in Otago!

Tides. —We have received the following from Mr. Thomas Vemey, master of the Black Dog, schooner: —In the theory of tides it is generally understood that the tide ebbs and flows twice every twenty-four hours; but in some parts of the Pacific Ocean, from my own personal observations this is nofc correct, as there is only one tide in twenty-four hours at the Island of St. Chi is t oval, New Ireland, and the north parts of Now Britain*